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Junfi 14, 1932- J. v. WECKBAUGH ET AL MACHINE FOR DISINTEGRATING, MIXING, AND EMULSIF'YING MATERIALS Filed Oct. 8. 1926 ae f Patented June 14, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JOSEPH V. WECKBAUGH, OF NEW YORK, AND

SAMUEL K. NESTER, OF GENEVA, NEW

YORK; SAID WECKBA'UGH ASSIGNOR TO SAID NESTER Application filed October 8, 1926. Serial No. 140,345.

The machine of the present invention is of the type at present known in the art as a colloid mill, and is intended to utilize the principles of operation set forth in the China Patent N 0. 1,523,632 of January 20, 1925. As pointed out in said patent, the disintegrating action is performed by the utilization of stator and rotor elements having closely spaced surfaces between which the materials are fed and subjected to the disintegrating and disrupting eflect occasioned by the high speed of travel of the rotor past the stator surface.

The object of the present invention is to so utilize this principle as to more advantageouslydirect the course of travel of the incoming substances in such a way as to develop spirally directed inflow currents which will merge into and harmonize with the line of flow of the materials through the annular space between the stator and rotor surfaces which beneficially influences the operation of the machine and renders it peculiarly adaptable to household use' and to use in soda fountains or the like where mixed beverages are dispensed.

The present invention however, is well applicable to numerous industrial uses. The principal feature of improvement embodied in the present invention is based upon the disposition of the axis of rotation of the rotor on a line which lies in oblique relation to the vertical, which disposition of the parts causes a downflowing of the admitted materials to the lower edge of the rotor and develops a normal current flow in a converging spiral or hyperbolic direction. Such current flow, which is developed by centrifugal action and by the beating or stirring effect of rotating pins or projections associated with the rotor, serves better to induce an initial disintegrating effect which prepares the material for admission into the restricted space between the rotor and stator.

Further objects and details of the invention will appear from a discription thereof in connection with the accompanying drawing wherein- Figure '1 is a sectional elevation of the machine of the present invention; and

Fig. 2 is a cross section taken on line 22 thereof, looking in the direction of the arrows.

The machine as a whole is carried by an arch 10 upwardly extending from a circular base 11 which is preferably of sufficiently ponderous formation to stabilize the machine and prevent vibration thereof. The center of the arch furnishes a point of attachment for a casing 12 which is configured to afford two points of attachment, respectively, for a receiving cup 14, and also provides for an inlet mouth 15 into which the materials are delivered.

The casing comprises an obliquely extending rear wall 16 which abuts against the forward face of the arch 10 to which it may be secured by screws 17 or the like, and this rear wall, as best shown in Fig. 2, is rounded forwardly in respect to the oblique plane through the line 22 of Fig. 1 to afford a centrally disposed mixing chamber 18 which merges downwardly into a rotor chamber 19, the walls 20 of which are outwardly and downwardly flared, as indicated in Fig. 1, to afford a smooth conical surface 21 which constitutes the stator wall and acts in conjunction with a downwardly and outwardly flaring rotor 22 to furnish a restricted annular space 23 between the stator and rotor elements through which the materials are fed and directed during the passage through the machine. The rotor chamber is of circular cross section at every point, and such cross sectional planes liein oblique relation to the vertical and in transverse relation to the axis of the rotor which is mounted upon an obliquely disposed shaft 24. The conical peripheral wall of the rotor presents its acting outer face to only a portion of the wall of the rotor chamber, the walls of which project'both above and below the rotor, the arrangement affording a narrow or relatively restricted inlet to the rotor chamber from the point above, and an enlarged or outwardly flaring outlet below the rotor.

Referring to Fig. 2, it will be observed that the side walls of the mixing chamber are rounded outwardly to afford a lateral enlargement or protrusion of the mix ing chamber with respect to the axial line of the shaft 24. The side walls beyond the protrusion converge forwardly and upwardly and, in conjunction with the obliquely disposed top and bottom walls 26 and 27, afford an inlet throat for the materials which terminates in a flared rim 28 of the mouth 15.

The shaft 24: is provided with a lower stirring pin 29 and an upper stirring pin 30, these two pins in the present instance being in the form of transversely extending oppositely disposed cotter pins, the lower free end of the lower cotter pin being bent downwardly, and both of the free ends of the upper cotter pin being bent or spread in opposite directions. The cotter pins thus afford means for breaking up or disintegrating and stirringthe materials introduced into the mixing chamber, and acting in conjunction with a plurality of pins 31 extending upwardly from the upper face of the disk shaped rotor element to afford means for fully and completely stirring, breakingup, and disintegrating the materials prior to their inflow into the restricted annular space between the rotor and stator where their ultimate breaking up and disintegration is accomplished by the disruptive action of the two contiguous surfaces upon the thin film of liquid under the high rate of velocity imparted to the rotor element.

The motor 13 is mounted upon the upper portion of the casing which presents an obliquely disposed supporting rim 32, and ball bearings 33 are provided to reduce fric tion and maintain the rotor shaft in precise alignment which is necessary in order to maintain the proper clearance between the walls of the rotor and stator. In order to exactly position the rotor with respect to the shaft, the latter is shouldered at the point 34 which provides a reduced spindle 35 having threads 36 near its lower end. which threads engage with threads 37 on the interior-of the hub of the rotor. This permits the rotor to be slid into place until the threads engage, after which a few turns will bring the-upper end of the hub into abutment with the shoulder which exactly positions the parts, and by providing several rotors differing as to the length of hub, substitutions can be effected to secure the exact degree of clearance desired between the rotor and stator.

By providing both rotor and stator with downwardly diverging working surfaces, the thrust on the rotor when working on materials to be processed is the same as when the rotor is running idle, i. e. the thrust is always unidirectional and downward. This is an important advantage over the prior art where the rotor and stator surfaces are diverging upward, as such an arrangement causes the thrust on the rotor to reverse when passing from idle to working conditions. By keeping the thrust unidirectional, a much closer and more constant adjustment of the rotor with reference to the stator can be effected and maintained, as there is substantially no end play in the rotor. Where the thrust reverses when passing from idle to working conditions, a certain amount of end play in rotor is unavoidable, and since the adjustment of the rotor to the stator must be effected while the rotor is stationary or idle, the closest adjustment is impossible.

In operation, the motor is started and drives the rotor at an extremely high rate of speed, after which the liquid and solid constituents are introduced into the mixing chamber. It is desirable to first introduce the solid constituents and immediately thereafter pour in the liquid or liquids. and the combined mass is thus subjected to the combined centrifugal action of the rotor. The pins associated therewith, as well as the disintegrating action of the pins which break through the solid materials within the mixing chamber, not only serve to disrupt the same, but also serves to assist in developing and directing the rotating movement imparted to the mass as a whole.

The plane of the rotor, as well as the plane of rotation of the several pins, are all in oblique relation to the action of gravity. The result of these forces serves to induce a current flow toward the lower edge of the stator, and along the side wall of the mixing chamber contiguous to the line of approach of the pins in their infeeding motion. That is to say, the side of the mixing chamber occupies the upper position of Fig. 2 with the pins rotating in a clockwise direction. This resultant combination of centrifugal and positive mechanical feeding tends to induce a downwardly converging spiral or hyperbolic line of flow of the incoming materials. This spiral line of flow merges unbrokenly into the line of flow of materials through the restricted annular space between the rotor and stator elements. This maintains a constant uniformity in the downflow of the materials through the machine, and utilizes the centrifugal and mechanical disruptive forces to a highly advantageous degree, since it directs the materials primarily toward a definite portion of the rotor rather than in general or indiscriminate relation thereto.

The oblique relation of the operative parts also is of advantage. in that it brings most of the intake and outlet portions of the machine toward the front of the mounting therefor, and locates the motor in convenient relati on toward the rear which involves compactness in structure and ease in manipulation which is a feature of substantial importance in the construction of appliances intended for soda fountain, or for household use, in which the materials are poured into and removed from the machine in relatively small quantities.

We claim:

1. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a mixing chamber merging into a stator surface, a rotor having its surface in close relation to the stator, means for rotating the rotor, a projecting member rotatable with the rotor and operable within the mixing chamber for disintegrating materials admitted thereinto prior to the entry of such materials into the restricted space between the rotor and stator, and a delivery throat adapted to discharge material in ob lique relation to the plane of the rotor and direct the same primarily toward one edgeof the rotor, the plane of the rotor being at an oblique angle with respect to the vertical, substantially as described.

2. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a mixing chamber merging at its lower side into a diverging conical wall affording a stator surface. a rotor having a conical rim lying in closely spaced relation to the stator, an obliquely disposed shaft upon which the rotor is carried, said shaft extending through the mixing chamber, and a projection on said shaft for assisting in the disintegration of materials admitted into the mixing chamber, substantially as described.

3. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a mixing chamber merging at its lower side into a diverging conical wall affording a stator surface, a rotor having a conical rim lying in closely spaced relation to the stator, an obliquely disposed shaft upon which the rotor is carried, said shaft extending through the mixing chamber, a projection on said shaft for assisting in the disintegration of materials admitted into the mixing chamber, and a projection carried by the rotor for assisting in such disintegration, substantially as described.

4. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a mixing chamber merging at its lower side into a diverging conical wall affording a stator surface, a rotor having a conical rim lying in closely spaced relation to the stator, an obliquely disposed shaft upon which the rotor is carried, said shaft extending through the mixing chamber, a projection on said shaft for assisting in the disintegration of materials admitted into the mixing chamber, a duct for directing the inflow of materials to the mixing chamber, said duct serving to direct such materials obliquely with relation to the plane of rotation of the rotor. substantially as described.

5. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a mixing chamber merging at its lower side into a diverging conical wall affording a stator surface, a rotor having a conical rim lying in closely spaced relation to the stator, an obliquely disposed shaft upon which the rotor is carried, said shaft extending through the mixing chamber, a projecttion on said shaft for assisting in the disintegration of materials admitted into the mixing chamber, a projection carried by the rotor for assisting in such disintegration, and a duct for directing the inflow of materials to the mixing chamber, said duct serving to direct such materials obliquely with relation to the plane of rotation of the rotor, substantially as described.

6. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a mixing chamber merging at its lower side into a diverging conical wall affording a stator surface, a rotor having a conical rim lying in closely spaced relation to the stator, an obliquely disposed shaft upon which the rotor is carried, said shaft extending through the mixing chamber, a projection on said shaft for assisting in the disintegration of materials admitted into the mixing chamber, and a duct for directing the inflow of materials to the mixing chamber, said duct serving to direct such materials ob liquely with relation to the plane of rotation of the rotor, one of the side walls of the mixing chamber being outwardly bulged at a point contiguous to the rotor shaft and merging unbrokenly into the inlet duct, substantially as described.

7. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a mixing chamber merging at its lower side into a diverging conical wall affording a stator surface, a rotor having a conical rim lying in closely spaced relation to they stator, an obliquely disposed shaft upon which the rotor is carried, said shaft extending through the mixing chamber, a projection on said shaft for assisting in the disintegration of materials admitted into the mixing chamber, a projection carried by the rotor for assisting in such disintegration, and a duct for directing the inflow of materials to the mixing chamber, said duct serving to direct such materials obliquely with relation to the plane of rotation of the rotor, one of the side walls of the mixing chamber being outwardlybulged at a point contiguous to the rotor shaft and merging unbrokenly into the inlet duct, substantially as described.

8. In a machine for disintegrating, mixing, and emulsifying materials, a mixing chamber having a stator integral therewith, a rotor obliquely disposed in said mixing chamber, and cooperating with the stator, and means upon said rotor for disintegrating and mixing the materials introduced into the 1 chamber, a shaft carrying a rotor adapted to cooperate with a stator obliquely disposed therein and a plurality of pins upon the shaft and head of said rotor for disintegrating and mixing the materials introduced into the mixing chamber.

JOSEPH V. WEGKBAUGH. SAMUEL K. NESTER. 

